Determinants of Consumer Intentions to Purchase Energy-Saving Household Products in Pakistan

Assessing eco-label knowledge and sustainable consumption behavior in energy sector of Pakistan: an environmental sustainability paradigm

The energy needs of Pakistan have increased many folds in recent years due to improved lifestyle, ever-increasing population, and economic development. Though the government and private sectors are considering efficient energy resources to overcome energy scarcity in the country, studies focusing on assessing consumers' sustainable consumption behavior in the form of energy-saving home appliances are limited in the country. This study aims to address this research gap and also contribute by augmenting the theoretical mechanism of the theory of planned behavior by including three unique dimensions (eco-label knowledge, attitude toward environment, and customer green trust) to comprehensively analyze sustainable consumption behavior in the Pakistani context. An analysis is performed on survey data of 631 consumers in the four largest cities of Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Islamabad. For the purpose of evaluating formulated hypotheses, the structural equation modeling approach is employed. Empirical findings suggest that eco-label knowledge positively and significantly influences attitude toward environment and consumer green trust. Similarly, attitude toward environment and consumer green trust has a positive and significant influence on purchase intention. Moreover, a significant positive relationship exists between consumer green trust and purchase intention. The research outcomes further disclose that purchase intention positively and significantly influence paying attention to environmental labels. These findings contribute to the literature on sustainable consumption behavior and provide academics and practitioners with future directions to transform social norms, raise consumers' awareness, and redesign policy frameworks through integrative and consistent efforts.

Do environmental knowledge and green trust matter for purchase intention of eco-friendly home appliances? An application of extended theory of planned behavior

This study aims to identify the determinants of consumers' intentions to buy eco-friendly appliances for their households. This research scrutinizes the linkage between environmental knowledge (EK), consumer attitude (CAT), green trust (GT), and purchase intention (PI) in an emerging economy's context. This study analyzes survey data from 331 Pakistani consumers using energy-efficient household products. SEM is employed to assess the formulated hypotheses. Empirical findings suggest that EK positively and significantly influences CAT and green trust. Similarly, CAT has a negative and insignificant influence on PI. In contrast, green trust is significantly and positively related to PIs. The research outcomes further disclose that perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) positively influence PI. The study extends the B2B sales literature and suggests future directions for academics and practitioners.

Influencing factors of consumers' buying intention of solar energy: a structural equation modeling approach

Due to China's massive usage of fossil fuels, climate change concerns have become serious challenges to the country's sustainable development. Despite the fact that China has effectively employed solar technology to address these problems, there is a paucity of research examining consumers' intention to adopt solar energy in the rural region of China. This study intends to fill this gap in the literature by studying consumers' buying intentions for solar energy in rural China for household purposes. Additionally, the study added to the theory of planned behavior by adding three new variables, namely, environmental knowledge, environmental concern, and beliefs about the benefits of solar energy. Primary data were collected from 847 respondents in Hebei Province using a comprehensive questionnaire survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the data. Empirical results revealed that attitude, environmental knowledge, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and beliefs about the benefits of solar energy positively influence buying intention of solar energy. On the contrary, environmental concern had no significant effect on buying intention for solar energy. Study outcomes emphasize the critical significance of changing societal norms, boosting consumer awareness, redesigning regulatory mechanisms, and stressing the benefits provided by solar power through coherent and persistent efforts while simultaneously enhancing environmental sustainability practices.

Research Progress and Hotspot Analysis of Residential Carbon Emissions Based on CiteSpace Software

Residential carbon emissions are one of the critical causes of climate problems such as global warming. It is significant to explore the development and evolution trend of residential carbon emissions research for mitigating global climate change. However, there have been no studies that comprehensively review this research field. Based on the research papers on residential carbon emissions included in the Web of Science core database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, the CiteSpace bibliometric analysis software was used in this paper to draw the visual knowledge map of residential carbon emissions research and reveal its research status, research hotspots, and development trend. We found that residential carbon emissions research has gone through the stage of "emergence-initiation-rapid development", and the research in the United States and the United Kingdom has played a fundamental role in developing this research field. Research hotspots mainly focus on analyzing energy demand, quantitative measurement, and impact mechanisms of residents' direct and indirect carbon emissions and low-carbon consumption willingness. The focus of research has gradually shifted from qualitative analysis based on relevant policies to the analysis of quantitative spatiotemporal measurements and drive mechanisms of direct and indirect carbon emissions from residential buildings, transportation, and tourism based on mathematical models and geographic information system technologies. Modern intelligent means such as remote sensing technology and artificial intelligence technology can improve the dynamics and accuracy of this research, but there are few related types of research at present. Based on these research status and trends, we proposed that the future research direction of residential carbon emissions should focus more on spatial analysis and trend prediction based on intelligent methods under a low-carbon background.

How Does NIMBYism Influence Residents' Behavioral Willingness to Dispose of Waste in Centralized Collection Points?-An Empirical Study of Nanjing, China

Residents' low behavioral willingness to dispose of waste in Centralized Collection Points (CCPs) seriously hinders the operational efficiency in waste collection of CCPs regarded as NIMBY ('not in my backyard') facilities. However, fewer researchers notice NIMBY facilities with low hazards. It has been ignored that the NIMBYism may influence behavioral willingness during the operation period persistently. Meanwhile, there is no consistent conclusions on internal factors of waste behavioral willingness, which deserves further study. Therefore, this study took CCPs as a research object and aimed to investigate how NIMBYism influences residents' behavioral willingness to dispose of waste in CCPs. The extended theory of planned behavior and structural equation modeling approach involving 550 respondents were adopted to conduct the analysis. The results revealed that attitude (β = 0.295, p < 0.001), government trust (β = 0.479, p < 0.001), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.222, p < 0.001) have statistical positive impacts on behavioral willingness to dispose of waste in CCPs. Perceived risk (β = ‒0.047, p = 0.022 < 0.05) can influence behavioral willingness negatively. Additionally, government trust (β = 0.726, p < 0.001) exerts a positive impact on attitude. Furthermore, relevant strategies were proposed to enhance residents' behavioral willingness to dispose of waste in CCPs. This study is expected to inspire the government to formulate policies from the aspects of standards and regulations, resident participation, construction, and publicity. It will provide the government instructive suggestions for the smooth operation of CCPs, and ultimately building a healthy and environment friendly society.

The Impact of Interpretive Packaged Food Labels on Consumer Purchase Intention: The Comparative Analysis of Efficacy and Inefficiency of Food Labels

The objectives of this study are twofold. Firstly, the current study elucidates the impact and efficacy of food labels in developing consumers' attitudes and intentions towards the selection of nutritional food. Secondly, the inefficacy of labels in developing consumers' attitudes and intentions towards healthy packaged food selection is demonstrated. The supportive theories of the current model are those of reasoned action and protection motivation. The data of 797 respondents have been collected from four major grocery stores in Pakistan. The structural equation model has been employed for the analysis of data. The results indicate that the efficacy of food labels has a positive significant effect on attitudes towards familiar and unfamiliar foods. In contrast to this, inefficacy in labelling has shown a positive significant effect on familiar foods but is insignificant for unfamiliar foods. The user-friendly food labels significantly affect unfamiliar foods in terms promoting consumer attitudes. Reciprocally, the inefficacy of labels creates a hindrance to the reading of unfamiliar labels while purchasing food items. The study findings reveal the fact that food label information and its format influences consumer attitudes and intentions at the point of purchase.

How do beliefs and attitudes of people influence energy conservation behavior in Pakistan?

Policymakers in developing countries like Pakistan mostly ignore the behavioral aspects of climate change mitigation, whereas literature is also deficient in advocating evidence-based mitigation strategies. This study aims to analyze the impact of personality traits, social norms, and attitudes on energy conservation behavior. Face-to-face interviews of 361 households are conducted in the capital city of Pakistan using random sampling. According to the characteristics of the data, the ordered logistic regression model is applied. The results reveal that education and gender do not contribute significantly toward energy conservation. In contrast, the behavior is more influenced by convenient lifestyle, the number of vehicles, distance of residence from the workplace, income, perception of energy security, and availability of transport. Furthermore, knowledge about sustainability and age is also critical to influencing energy conservation behavior. Therefore, the study recommends using different mediums to enhance the knowledge base of households about energy conservation and environmental sustainability, aligning the urban planning in view of location choices and use of public transport.

Interplay of eco-friendly factors and islamic religiosity towards recycled package products: A cross-cultural study

Climate change has increasingly been recognised and associated with consumer behaviour: Practitioners are developing their strategies to reduce environmental degradation while increasing the management of sustainable consumption; it needs to better understand consumer attitudes and eco-friendly factors about the issue. Therefore, the current study focused to understand the effects of pro-environmental factors on individuals’ environmental attitudes (purchase behaviour towards products with recycled packaging) through the lens of theory of planned behaviour in a cross-cultural setting. Moreover, present research focuses on the moderating role that religiosity plays in causal pathways between certain determinants (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control) and intentions in this context. A multi-wave time-lagged research design was employed in this study, and university students from two developing countries were surveyed (N = 324, 266). The findings revealed pronounced similarities between the two examined countries. Overwhelmingly, pro-environmental factors examined (environmental values, environmental knowledge, and environmental concern) were found to be positively related to attitude formation. Further results showed that attitude and subjective norms are significant predictors of the intention to purchase products with recycled packaging. Moreover, with the exception of perceived behavioural control, religiosity moderates the relationships between all the determinants of TPB and intention to purchase recycled packaged products. Present study offers insightful implications to management of these emerging and/or similar cultural markets regarding customer value for green products. Using TPB, present study broadened and deepen extant stream of literature on consumption of recycled packaged products in two highly emerging markets; Pakistan and Malaysia.

An extension of the theory of planned behavior to understand factors influencing Pakistani households' energy-saving intentions and behavior: a mediated-moderated model

This study aims to explore the factors influencing households' intentions and actual behavior in relation to saving energy. This study is based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), extending it by adding descriptive norms and moral responsibility. An online survey was administered to collect data from randomly selected households and data analysis was run using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The research findings reveal the positive and significant effect of TPB factors (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control) and the extended factors (descriptive norms and moral responsibility) on households' intention to save energy, as well as the significant effect of perceived behavior control, moral responsibility, and intention on household's energy-saving behavior. This study also evidences the significant mediating and moderating role of households' intention to save energy and moral responsibility. This study's model explains 70.5% of variations in households' intention to save energy and 63.1% of variations in households' energy-saving behavior. In particular, the extended model explains 11.6% more of the variation in households' intention to save energy compared to the TPB model. This research has several theoretical and practical implications for scholars, environmental protection agencies, and policy-makers.

Special Issue: Recent Advances in Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Buildings are important consumers of energy; in fact, they represent 30–45% of global energy use and one-third of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [...]

Purchase Behavior of Energy-Efficient Appliances Contribute to Sustainable Energy Consumption in Developing Country: Moral Norms Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Since energy consumption in developing countries has increased significantly, motivating energy-saving habits among citizens is an important issue both from the academic and industrial perspectives. Thus, this study aims to predict consumer purchase intention for energy-efficient household appliances based on an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This study incorporated two additional constructs of moral norms and environmental concern in the model of the TPB. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1155 Bangladeshi consumers, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) regression was used to test the hypotheses. Results show that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control significantly influence consumer purchase intention of energy-efficient appliances (EEAs). This study also proved that the extension of moral norms is a significant predictor of consumers’ purchase intention in the classic theory of planned behavior (TPB). However, environmental concerns had no significant influence in the Bangladesh context. As far as the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical survey in Bangladesh to predict energy-efficient household appliance (EEHA) purchasing intentions using an extended model of the TPB. Marketers and policymakers can use the findings of this study to design strategies for generating more value for green consumers. The study also provides insights into environmental marketing and sustainable energy consumption in developing countries from theoretical and practical perspectives.

Predicting household sign up for solar energy: an empirical study based on the extended theory of planned behavior

Purpose

This study aims to understand households’ adoption of small-scale solar energy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause due to conventional energy consumptions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is quantitative in nature and households were selected as unit of analysis. Online data has been collected from seven main cities of Pakistan to understand households’ intention to use small-scale solar energy for domestic consumption. A total of 370 valid data were analyzed through partial least square structural equation modeling.

Findings

The study findings reveal that publicity information, attitude green norm and perceived behavioral control are the strongest predictors of households’ intention to use small-scale solar energy.

Practical implications

The considered model practically contributes to the literature by understanding households’ intention to adopt solar technologies that are viable means to conserve conventional energy and preserve the environment through less emission of carbon dioxide. In addition to this, understanding the green norm of households is imperative in a developing country, Pakistan where climate risk is high. Understanding household’ green norms would help marketers and practitioners to design and introduce new and more efficient renewable technologies that maintain environmental sustainability.

Originality/value

This study has contributed to theory of planned behavior (TPB) by the inclusion of publicity information and green norms. Previous studies focused on the environmental benefits of using renewable energy sources. This study added novel antecedents into TPB that help to understand the adoption of small-scale solar energy for domestic consumption.

Presumption of Green Electronic Appliances Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Personal Moral Norms

This study focused on social and cognitive psychological factors that drive personal norms and consequent buying intentions towards green electric appliances. The study differentiates itself from other similar studies by examining the mediating role of consumer personal moral norms from the developing nation perspective. Following a cross-sectional study design, data were collected from 360 consumers in shopping malls using the purposive sampling technique and analyzed through partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis. It was found that personal moral norms are a significant positive predictor of consumer buying intentions. Moreover, injunctive norms, consideration of future consequences, and self-efficacy influenced directly and predicted personal consumer norms. We identified that these factors triggered the moral sentiments and individuals. Furthermore, these results support the mediating role of personal moral norms between injunctive social norms, consideration of future consequences, self-efficacy, and buying intentions, validating the concept that instigation of moral feeling among consumers supports the actualization of intentions to buy green electric products. This study’s results offer insights for green electric appliance researchers, marketers, and policymakers. Marketers can guide effective marketing strategies by focusing on moral, social, future consequences-oriented, and self-efficacy-related marketing communications.

Bridging Green Gaps: The Buying Intention of Energy Efficient Home Appliances and Moderation of Green Self-Identity

This study investigates the factors influencing the buying intention of energy-efficient home appliances in Bangladesh. It also develops a conceptual framework that integrates additional constructs with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and borrows questions from past literature. Employing a convenience sampling technique, a total of 365 completed structured questionnaires were gathered from various super shops in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was thereafter used to analyze the data with the AMOS 21. The study established that environmental knowledge, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly affected the consumers’ buying intention of energy-efficient home appliances (EEHA). The result revealed a significant relationship between environmental concern, environmental knowledge, subjective norms, eco-labeling, and attitude towards buying. It also confirmed that the green self-identity moderates the existent relationship between the attitude and buying intention of energy-efficient home appliances, while environmental knowledge does not. The research advances numerous policy suggestions to managers or marketers, as well as future research directions.

Unleashing the Importance of TQM and Knowledge Management for Organizational Sustainability in the Age of Circular Economy

Despite the growing importance of the concept of circular economy, the case of developing countries remains under-explored. Against this backdrop, the present research aims to examine the association between the constructs of total quality management (TQM) and organizational sustainability (OS) with the mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) from the perspective of a circular economy. The data were collected from the manufacturing sector of a developing economy (n = 510) to serve the purpose of the current research through a self-administered questionnaire (paper-pencil technique). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for hypothesis testing of the current survey. Six TQM dimensions were drawn from the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (MBNQA) model. OS is composed of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, and KM is composed of four dimensions including acquisition, creation, sharing, and application of knowledge. The empirical examination suggests that TQM positively relates to OS, with KM playing a partial mediation role between this association. This study provides important insights for the management of the manufacturing industry of Pakistan on how to ensure organizational sustainability in the age of a circular economy by using the constructs of TQM and KM.

Leverage structure decisions in Bangladesh: managers and investors' view

The paper investigates the impact of managers' and investors' perceptions on financial leverage decisions in Bangladesh. To fulfill the purpose of the paper, the final structure of the questionnaire was made by adopting pre-testing and assessment of outer factor loadings and measures the internal consistency of all items in the test or scale using Cranach's Alpha. The composite reliability (CR) was tested by calculating the composite alpha and average variance extracted (AVE). The study employs partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to investigate the structured relationship between the observed and latent variables and extends the path analysis to test the hypotheses. The study reveals that corporate governance significantly and positively influences the leverage structure decision. The result intends to establish that if firms serve corporate governance, it will make the firms to manage more debt into the leverage structure decision. Results also reveal a negative and significant association between the determinants and financial leverage structure decision, and this relation signifies that when determinants tend to upturn, outside borrowing will fall into the financial leverage structure decision. The policy implications advanced from this study include the transformation of ownership structure, corporate governance, and financial policy to facilitate proper leverage structure decisions.

Adoption of green IT in Pakistan: a comparison of three competing models through model selection criteria using PLS-SEM

The growing adverse impact of IT products in developing countries like Pakistan is increasing, seeking academicians' and practitioners' attention to adopt green IT products in Pakistan. In this regard, several researchers provided different independent theoretical models for adopting green IT, but which model fits best in the scenario is still vague. Therefore, this study used three well-developed competing models: the technology acceptance model, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, and the decomposed theory of planned behavior to investigate green IT adoption in Pakistan. For this purpose, data were collected through a survey method using a purposive sampling technique, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze three competing models. Using the PLS model selection criteria along with standard model selection criteria, the results suggested that the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) is the most parsimonious and has the best explanatory and predictive power than other available alternative theoretical models. Moreover, the study identified different significant factors affecting consumers' intention to adopt green IT products in Pakistan. The theoretical and practical implication of this study is discussed. In the final section, limitations and future directions are elaborated.

On the Factors Influencing Green Purchase Intention: A Meta-Analysis Approach

This study systematically analyzes the factors that affect consumers' green purchase intention. Through a comprehensive literature review, the influencing factors of consumers' green purchase intention are organized into three categories: cognitive factors, consumer individual characteristics, and social factors. Next, a meta-analysis of 54 empirical papers was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0 software to quantitatively assess these relationships. The results revealed that green perceived value, attitude, and green trust have a significant positive influence on green purchase intention. Perceived behavior control, perceived consumer effectiveness, and subjective norm also has a strong positive impact on green purchase intention. Collectivism has a positive effect on green purchase intention. Green perceived risk has a significant negative impact on green purchase intention. The study's findings provide references for enterprises engaged in green product diffusion and organizations responsible for environmental protection.

Determinants of Consumers’ Intentions towards the Purchase of Energy Efficient Appliances in Pakistan: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Amplified energy demand due to technologically advanced electrical and electronic appliances has accentuated the importance of energy efficiency to overcome energy shortage and environmental concerns. As adoption of energy efficient appliances depends on perception of the consumers, this study focuses on behavioral exploration of the consumers’ intentions towards the purchase of energy efficient appliances using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study is based on a survey comprising 289 respondents. Partial least square (PLS) method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the attitude, perceived behavioral control, policy information campaigns, and past-purchase experiences significantly impact behavioral intentions of the consumers, whereas subjective and moral norms are insignificant in shaping behavioral intentions. Based on analyses, policy implications emphasizing (i) strong awareness campaigns, (ii) energy efficiency incentives, and (iii) replacement initiatives are proposed to help policy makers and administrators in achieving required goals of energy efficiency and conservation. The proposed research model and policy initiatives are a blueprint for synergies among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and shaping consumers’ behaviors towards the purchase of energy efficient products, particularly, in developing countries.

Adoption of Energy-Efficient Home Appliances: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior

This research applies an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) to empirically investigate consumers’ intentions in Pakistan to purchase energy-efficient appliances (EEAs). Most developing countries face energy crises. As a result, many countries consider EEAs to be part of the solution to energy-related problems and teach sustainable consumption behavior to consumers. Previous studies have neglected developing countries in this context, yet developing markets have great potential for EEA adoption. To understand EEA adoption, we incorporated such variables as warm glow benefits, utilitarian environmental benefits, normative beliefs, and moral obligations as antecedents to TPB variables. The moderating effect of eco-literacy between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and purchase intention toward EEAs are also examined. Data was gathered through a survey questionnaire from 673 Pakistani consumers to empirically test the proposed hypotheses. The results reveal that utilitarian environmental benefits and warm glow benefits significantly influence attitudes toward EEAs. The findings also show a positive effect of normative beliefs on subjective norms. The interaction effect of eco-literacy positively influences the relationship between attitude and purchase intention, with similar results for subjective norms and purchase intention. However, no significant moderating effect of eco-literacy is found between PBC and purchase intention. Furthermore, we performed multi-group analysis to explore significant group differences by utilizing socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, education, and income. The results show significant group differences, with females’ purchasing behavior, younger consumers, and educated consumers being more readily influenced. Finally, insights for policymakers, suggestions and future directions are discussed.

Determining the Influencing Factors in the Adoption of Solar Photovoltaic Technology in Pakistan: A Decomposed Technology Acceptance Model Approach

Accelerating demand for energy and its consumption has become a credible threat to the sustainable ecosystem due to the exploitation of scarce natural resources and environmental hazards. The adoption of renewable energy sources for sustainable development has been gaining traction among researchers and practitioners alike. Considering its hot climate, Pakistan has a huge potential to meet its energy requirements by tapping into renewable energy resources, especially through the use of solar photovoltaic (SPV) technologies. However, the adoption rate of this technology remains still quite scant among consumers. In this regard, the present research explores the factors that affect households’ purchase intention of SPV technology in Pakistan. The study has developed a comprehensive research framework by decomposing the technology acceptance model (DTAM) into second-order sub-constructs. Afterward, Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data by decomposing perceived usefulness (PU) into social, economic, and environmental usefulness and perceived ease of use (PEOU) into discomfort and insecurity and to assess their cumulative effects on consumer attitude. Moreover, the moderating role of policy and propaganda was also investigated. Empirical results assert that PU and PEOU positively and significantly shape the consumer attitude toward SPV adoption. Subsequently, consumer attitude has a positive and significant impact on the actual purchase intention of SPV technology. Furthermore, the moderating role of governmental policy and propaganda between the consumer attitude and actual purchase intention was also confirmed. The policy implications of these results are discussed. Finally, the limitations and future directions of the research are also elaborated.

Sustainability of Green Tourism among International Tourists and Its Influence on the Achievement of Green Environment: Evidence from North Cyprus

Sustainability of green tourism is gaining more attention from different stakeholders due to its environmental benefits. However, empirical studies on the behavioral aspect of the tourists towards sustainability of green tourism and its influence on the achievement of the green environment have not been exhaustively researched, most especially in a small island state like North Cyprus. In this paper, we investigate the behavioral aspects of international tourists towards the sustainability of green tourism employing an extended framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). A sample of 395 questionnaires was administered to the tourists that lodged at the 20 randomly selected five-star hotels in North Cyprus, while the study model was examined through structural equation modelling (SEM). Our study findings indicated that tourists’ perceptions of the sustainability of green tourism and their environmental concerns had a significantly positive impact on their attitudes. In addition, our results revealed that subjective norms had a significantly negative impact on intentions of the tourists to participate in sustainability of green tourism, while attitude was found to have a significantly positive impact on the tourists’ intentions to participate in the sustainability of green tourism. Moreover, we found that both environmental concerns and the intention of the tourists to participate in the sustainability of green tourism had a significantly positive impact on environmentally responsible tourism behavior. Lastly, our study contributes to enhancing the understanding of the perception of tourists on the green environment as it affects their behavior and subsequent influence on their intention to participate in the sustainability of green tourism with the attendant impact on the achievement of environmental degradation reduction.

Factors Affecting the Consumption of Energy-Efficient Lighting Products: Exploring Purchase Behaviors of Thai Consumers

The continued usage of inefficient lighting products in residential sectors is one of the major causes of the rapid growth in global energy consumption. Their replacement with highly efficient lighting appliances could avoid large amounts of electricity consumption and reduce CO2 emissions worldwide. In this regard, the collective contribution by the residential sector is extremely important and the increase in demand for energy-efficient lighting products can help achieve sustainability goals. This study aims to examine the determinants of household consumers’ behaviors in purchasing energy-saving lighting products by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the main theoretical framework. Data (n = 288) from a survey in Thailand were analyzed using causal Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results suggested that attitude has the largest direct effect, while subjective norm was the weakest predictor of purchase intention towards light-emitting diode (LED) products. In addition, this study expands the TPB by including an investigation of a direct effect of attitude on purchase behavior. The results suggest that attitudes have a strong direct influence on the purchasing behavior for LED products. Additionally, only some socio-demographic variables have significant effects on purchase behavior. The study’s findings highlight several implications for policymakers, the private sector, and green marketers in developing practical strategies. Furthermore, suggestions and future research directions are discussed.

The Impact of Policy Factors and Users’ Awareness on Electricity-Saving Behaviors: From the Perspective of Habits and Investment

Exploring the factors affecting residents’ electricity-saving behavior and their mechanisms of action is an important way to conserve regional energy and reduce emissions. Integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and norm activation model (NAM) and introducing the external policy factors, a model of the factors influencing habituation and investment electricity-saving behavior was constructed and an empirical study of urban residents in Hefei city, China was conducted. The results show that residents’ knowledge of the electricity price policy indirectly affects their habitual intentions by affecting their attitudes whereas residents’ knowledge of the subsidy policy have direct effects on their investment intentions. Environmental concern can directly affect residents’ habituation and investment intentions and also indirectly affect their habituation ones by affecting their personal moral norm. However, its indirect effect on the investment intention is not significant. Perceived behavioral control has a significant positive impact on residents’ investment intentions and behaviors, but the impacts on their habituation ones are not significant. The relationships between the personal moral norm and the two kinds of intention and behavior are opposite to those of perceived behavior control. Relevant policy implications for the government, household appliance enterprises, and power enterprises are provided.

The influence of consumers' intention factors on willingness to pay for renewable energy: a structural equation modeling approach

As the adoption of renewable power generation technologies (RPTs) is a complex and multidimensional process influenced by a variety of factors, it provokes traction among researchers to identify these influencing factors. This study aims to investigate the impact of consumers' intention factors on willingness to pay (WTP) for renewable energy (RE) in Pakistan. The current research has contributed through expanding the theoretical framework of the theory of planned behavior by adding two new constructs, i.e., belief about RE cost and environmental concern to better understand consumers' intentions towards adoption or prohibition of RPTs. Findings are based on the primary data gathered from 349 residents in the five major cities of Pakistan including, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Multan by conducting a comprehensive survey. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis purposes. Research results indicate that the influencing factors such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively moderate the relationship between consumer's intention and WTP for RE, belief about RE cost has a negative effect, while environmental concern did not find to have a significant effect. Based on research findings, this study offered essential policy recommendations to fulfill the country's energy needs on its way to a future of sustainable development.

An empirical study of purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances: the influence of knowledge of eco-labels and psychographic variables

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate the antecedents of consumers’ purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-administered questionnaire has been used to gather data from the targeted representatives of the population. Quota based on age and convenience sampling techniques were used to select the participants of the study, as it is a suitable technique in situations where the possibility of getting a complete sampling frame is difficult. More than 73% of the population of Pakistan is aged below 34 years (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Based on this information, the current study has allocated more than 75% quota to consumers who are below 35 years.

Findings

The findings of the study reveal that all antecedents have significant impact on consumers’ purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances. Environmental concern, green trust and products’ functional values are most influencing factors in the purchase of energy-efficient home appliances.

Originality/value

This study is related to energy-efficient home appliances in Pakistan. Systematic literature suggested the need to analyze the antecedents of energy-efficient appliances. This study helps the practitioners and marketers to understand consumers’ behavior regarding the purchase of energy-efficient home appliances.

An empirical study of consumers intention to purchase energy efficient appliances

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework of consumers’ purchase intention of energy efficient home appliances.

Design/methodology/approach

Non-probability quota based on age and education and purposive sampling technique have been used to assess data collected by a questionnaire survey.

Findings

The findings of the study reveal that consumers’ knowledge of eco-labels, environmental concern and perceived consumer effectiveness are the important predictors of purchase intention. However, the positive relationship between green trust and products’ functional value was found insignificant. It is believed that consumers’ are skeptical about products’ functional benefits.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study has presented a holistic approach to assess consumer purchase intention for energy-efficient home appliances, there are some limitations of the current study. First, this study has focused on consumer intention to purchase energy-efficient home appliances rather than actual purchase of appliances. Ajzen (1991) argued that intention is the accurate and immediate measure of actual, but gaps exist between intention and the actual behavior of the consumers (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Consumers’ intentions may not always result in actual behavior. Thus, to expand research applicability, researchers should include actual behavior of consumers by conducting interviews or collecting data from the same consumers after an interval of three to six months. Second, the study has focused on consumers’ psychographic variables, there may be many other factors such as technological variables, government and pressure group influence and media impact on consumer intention to purchase energy-efficient home appliances. Future studies can integrate the impact of these potential variables on consumer purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances with the same model. The third limitation is related to the methodology of this study, the quantitative method has been used in this study. Future studies may use qualitative and mixed methods to better understand consumers’ inclination of purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances in Pakistan. Besides, a qualitative study will be helpful to explore new variables that are essential in the decision-making of consumers for the purchase of energy-efficient home appliances in Pakistan. Pakistan is a developing country where the majority of the people are belonging to the middle-class; there may be many other important factors that affect consumers’ purchase intention of energy-efficient home appliances. Therefore, an in-depth qualitative study would be helpful to explore those variables in the context of a developing country.

Practical implications

Energy consumption has posed serious threats to the sustainability of the environment and endangered the lives of many species across the globe. Environmental degradation due to unsustainable consumptions has provided ample opportunities to the marketers that led to the development of sustainable products such as energy-efficient home appliances. In this study, the antecedent of purchase intention of energy-efficient appliances includes attitude, functional values, perceived consumer effectiveness, consumers’ knowledge of eco-labels, environmental concern and green trust. Although researchers have extended TBP to predict consumers’ purchase intention of energy-efficient appliances, studies lack to provide a holistic view from consumers’ perspective. Consumers’ concern for the safety of the environment depicts consumers tendency to purchase environmentally friendly products and promote less hazardous products. Marketers should incorporate environmentally friendly benefits to the product that serve to attract maximum consumers and maintain harmony with the environment. Consumers’ knowledge of eco-labels, green trust and functional values are a vital construct that needs focus in term of the energy-efficient appliances purchase decision. Eco-labels are one of the emerging marketing tools that serve to guide consumers related to products environmentally friendly attributes and contribute to the acceptability of products. Marketers can use eco-labels to differentiate green products from conventional and establishes consumers’ trust in product performance.

Originality/value

This study is relevant to energy-efficient home appliances. Systematic literature of previous studies suggested the need to conduct and examine the antecedents of energy-efficient home appliances in developing markets. This research highlights that perceived consumer effectiveness is the most influencing factor affecting intention. The implications of this study would be helpful in understanding consumers’ behavior toward the purchase of green products in developing markets.

The Influence of Information Intervention Cognition on College Students' Energy-Saving Behavior Intentions

Based on the theory of planned behavior, this research examines the influence of different types of information on the behavioral intentions of college students in the context of perceived behavioral control (perceived self-efficacy and perceptual control) as mediating variables. The results showed that: (1) Different types of information intervention factors have different effects on perceptual self-efficacy and perceptual control; the influence degree of economic cost has the strongest effect, followed by group pressure, while the influence degree of publicity and education has the weakest effect. However, policy intervention has no statistically significant effect on both of them (perceived self-efficacy and perceptual control). (2) Two variables, perceived self-efficacy and perceptual control, serve as mediators between information intervention factors and energy-saving behavior intention. (3) Individual characteristic factors have significant moderating effects on each path in the model of information intervention-perceived behavior control-intention. Finally, suggestions are made on how to encourage college students to more effectively save energy.

Motives and Role of Religiosity towards Consumer Purchase Behavior in Western Imported Food Products

The undertaken study examines the influence of the marketing mix, consumer attributes, and the role of religiosity towards consumer purchase behavior regarding western imported food products in Pakistan. The study has used the theory of planned behaviors as underpinning foundations for testing factors. In total, 1080 respondents from eight cities in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Larkana, and Faisalabad—were part of this study. Path analysis performed through SEM (structural equation modeling). The result unveiled that product attributes, price, self-concept, brand trust, personality, and religiosity positively correlated with consumer’s purchase intention in a Muslim country. The result of this study will also help potential future candidates for the food industry, especially those aimed at using the Asian consumer market. The penetration of western imported food may also bring convergence where the nation can feel upgraded and privileged. The study also adds to the academic literature on Muslim consumer behavior by combining numerous factors on a single model, grounded in the theory of planned behavior. Limited study has analyzed religiosity and other factors in context with a Muslim majority population. This study is a preliminary effort to understand the Muslim consumer food purchase behavior inadequately investigated by the consumer researcher.

Critical Factors Influencing the Adoption of Smart Home Energy Technology in China: A Guangdong Province Case Study

Smart home energy technology has been verified to be successful for energy reduction in the residential sector. However, the current penetration rate of smart home energy technology is at a low level. Considering the factors of economy, policy, and demographics, Guangdong Province in China is a suitable region as an exemplary case to promote smart home energy technology through the urban residents. Therefore, using Guangdong as the targeting area, this research examined the factors influencing residents’ intention to adopt smart home energy technology. A theoretical model based on the theory of planned behavior and Norm Activation Model theory was developed, with special consideration of the complex technical features. A questionnaire survey was performed in Guangdong Province and the data was analyzed by PLS-SEM. The analysis results indicated that residents’ attitude towards technical performance, social norm, perceived behavioral control, and personal norm all have positive influence on the adoption intention, of which, attitude towards technical performance had the strongest effect. On the other hand, the attitude towards economic performance was found not to lead adoption intention. To explain this consequence, the discussion based on behavioral economics was proposed.

The Influencing Factors on Choice Behavior Regarding Green Electronic Products: Based on the Green Perceived Value Model

Electronic/electrical waste (e-waste) has now become a global concern due to its negative impact on the environment and health. This negative effect of e-waste is increasing with the advancement in the electronics industry, especially in Pakistan, which is the leading e-waste disposal destination. Therefore, this study aims to find consumer choice behavior regarding green electronics in Pakistan. For this purpose, a multidimensional modified green perceived model (functional value quality, functional value price, social value identity, social value responsibility, emotional value, and conditional value) is used. Cross-sectional data is collected from 237 consumers through a self-administrative questionnaire. The results of variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) (partial least squares (PLS)-SEM) suggested that functional value price, quality, social value identity, responsibility, emotional value, and conditional value positively and significantly influence the consumer choice behavior regarding green electronics. the possible reasons for the findings and the implications for managers and policymakers are discussed. Limitations of the study and future research directions are also suggested.

The Intention to Adopt Green IT Products in Pakistan: Driven by the Modified Theory of Consumption Values

Over the last decades, prompt economic growth and the resulting overconsumption has deteriorated the environment in an accelerated way. This environmental deterioration has prompted academicians and practitioners to study ecological consumption behavior. E-waste and energy consumption play a major part in this environmental deterioration, which makes consumer conscious regarding their consumption pattern. In this regard, the emergence of green Information Technology (IT) enables individuals to become involved in environmental protection and sustainability programs to reduce the negative impact of IT products on the environment. This study aims to investigate individual intentions to adopt green IT products in Pakistan by the theoretical foundation of the theory of consumption values (functional value, social value, epistemic value, emotional value, and conditional value). Whereas, an additional value, i.e., the religious value, is included in the model, due to its significant impact in green consumption behavior of individuals. Cross-sectional data is used to obtain a total of 536 valid questionnaires to test the hypothesis. The Partial Least Square Modeling approach is used to test the proposed model (variance-based SEM). The results infer that functional value, social value, epistemic value, emotional value, conditional value, and religious value have significant positive impact on the consumer intention to adopt green IT products. The reasons for the results and implications for the practitioners are discussed. Furthermore, directions for future research have also been suggested.